Ruth's Old Movie Reviews

Hedy Lamarr Goes to the Casbah

Hedy Lamarr goes slumming with Charles Boyer in the Casbah.

“Come with me to the Casbah” is one of those famous movie lines that was never spoken in a movie.

True!

Boyer never used the immortal “Come weeth me to ze Casbah” pick-up line in the 1937 drama, Algiers. But he did use it in the film’s trailer and, astonishingly, this cheesy line still makes the rounds more than 60 years later.

First, what the heck is a “Casbah”? Generally speaking, a casbah (or Kasbah) is a fortress, and the actual Casbah in Algiers is today a UNESCO World Heritage Site. For our purposes, though, the introduction to the film Algiers describes the Casbah as home to “drifters and outcasts from all parts of the world – and criminals who find this a safe hiding place from the long arm of the law.”

The most intriguing criminal in the Casbah is its de facto ruler, Pepe le Moko (Boyer), a well-dressed man who wears power as comfortably as his tailored suits. Not only is Pepe le Moko the best movie name ever, the character is intriguingly complex – brooding, intelligent, vindictive. Yet he has a big heart for the less fortunate and an intense longing to return to Paris.

However! Boyer can never revisit Paris because he is wanted by the French police. He is a successful jewel thief and, although he is wealthy with ill-gotten gain, he cannot leave the Casbah because even the local police are waiting to nab him. Boyer is safe in the Casbah because the people revere him and they don’t squeal on Pepe le Moko.

But Boyer’s future becomes uncertain when he meets a fellow Parisian (Hedy Lamarr), who is travelling with her fiance. Lamarr is immediately fascinated by the seediness of Casbah, and by Boyer in particular.

Charles Boyer longs for Paris – er, Lamarr. Image: Pinterest

Frankly, Lamarr’s character is a bore. She is a humourless socialite, engaged to a rich man she does not love. We are hard-pressed to find her good qualities, other than her fabulous wardrobe and her impressive jewelry collection. These expensive assets, by the way, do not go unnoticed by Boyer.

This is one of those movies that sucks you in without your realizing it. It begins rather methodically, but the story unfolds quickly and becomes so engrossing you forget that it was made in Hollywood. It feels like Algiers, or what we imagine Algiers feels like. By the time the film is over, you feel a bit sad, as though you’re returning home from vacation.

In addition to that, you can’t help but be a little excited about the inevitable outcome of the movie, yet you dread it the whole time. This is because of Boyer’s perfect performance as a man torn by his desire to be remain in exile, and his desire to see his beloved Paris once again. You feel his agony and you feel for him, even though he is a thief who shows no mercy towards his enemies.

The final scene of Algiers is probably our favourite Boyer scene of all time, although we won’t discuss it here. You’ll just have to watch it to see what we mean.

A helpful reader has pointed out Algiers is a remake of the 1937 French film Pépé le Moko, which is based on the book by French novelist Henri la Barthe who used the pen name Détective Ashelbé. (See this terrific review HERE for more info.)

A final thought: Many have said that the Warner Bros. cartoon character Pepe le Pew is based on Boyer’s Pepe le Moko. You may have your own theories about this, but we guarantee you won’t be making that comparison when watching this absorbing film.

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28 comments

I think I want a Casbah of my own! I love Boyer in this film (and so many others) mostly because he makes e ererything look so exciting. I have never given much thought to how Algiers feels because I assume this movie is spot on, right? Thanks for retrieving the memories of this great film. I cant wait to see it again soon.

Boyer was wonderful in this film. Then again, it’s hard to think of him in a bad role. And though I agree that Lamarr’s character leaves something to be desired, she does look fabulous here. I imagine the movie’s costume designers having a field day creating her wardrobe.

That’s true – Lamarr is glamorous and lovely, as she always is. I agree that the wardrobe department likely had a field day here, not just with Lamarr’s fab wardrobe, but with costumes for all the characters.

I’m intrigued to hear that ‘Come with me to zee Casbah’ was actually in the trailer for ‘Algiers’ – I must give it a look! I recently saw this film (got it in a box set) and I do like it, especially Boyer, but must say I love the French original, ‘Pepe le Moko’, even more. That film stars Jean Gabin, who is fantastic as Pepe – the two films are very similar indeed, with many scenes looking almost identical in both. Apparently the producers of ‘Algiers’ tried to buy up all prints of the French film and destroy it, but luckily they didn’t succeed!

The 1938 movie Algiers was most Americans’ introduction to the picturesque alleys and souks of the Casbah . It was also the inspiration for the 1942 Warner Brothers movie Casablanca which was written specifically for Hedy Lamarr in the female lead role. However, MGM refused to release Hedy Lamarr despite all efforts by Warner Brothers .

Yes, Lamarr was scheduled several other projects with MGM, although the rumour mill says she turned the role down. Still, I think Warner Bros. made the right choice in the end in casting Ingrid Bergman.

Again, I’m ashamed I haven’t even heard of this movie. After reading your words and the comments, I have to find it! I love Boyer, so maybe I’ll buy it 🙂 Thank you for another awakening! I can’t wait to see this…

Hedy’s character may be a bore…but she’s still Hedy Lamarr! I enjoyed this fun, informative post. Long ago, I saw the original French film and remember liking it even better than ALGIERS. It’d be interesting to watch both again now.

Ruth, Algiers is one of those classic movies that I keep hearing about and meaning to check out. I had no idea the “Casbah” line was in the movie trailer, but not the film itself; go figure! I look forward tol checking it out to see it for myself! 😀

What an amazing film review! You sure you weren’t a film director in a past life?? 🙂 I have not seen this film (at least if I have, I have since forgotten), but am I allowed to comment on other films not specifically related to this one on this post? Well, I’m going to anyway: I saw Charles Boyer and Bette Davis in “Some Enchanted Evening” (forgive me if that is not the exact title) and he had me at “hello” … I’m struggling to remember all the details of the film as I saw it many, many years ago, but I just remember him turning to Bette Davis character and saying something (can’t for the life of me remember what at this moment) and I just melted. I still have the essence of how I felt then in my being, even though I can’t remember exactly what was said.

I’ve not ever seen the Bette Davis-Charles Boyer film, and why is that?! They’re both fabulous. Based on your reaction to the film, it’s one I need to track down ASAP. Thanks for putting it on my radar. 🙂

I’ve been trying to find a link on Google for you, but not very successful I’m afraid. There are references to Boyer and the 1961 version of the film which I believe was called Some Enchanted Evening. I’m beginning to wonder if I have got a little confused and it may have been called something else. I distinctly remember ‘some enchanted evening’ though and feeling it was a brilliantly romantic film. But memory is a funny thing isn’t it, and it has been a number of years since I saw it, so maybe I might be mixing up several different films. Let me know if you do any research and what you come up with. I’m feeling really intrigued now …:)

I saw that and wondered… but I have seen a film called “All This and Heaven Too” which stars Rock Hudson and Jane Wyman. Could it be that there are two films with the same title? Have you seen the Hudson/Wyman film at all? It’s brilliant if you love romantic weepies. Gosh, I’m showing my age here… LOL

Just had a light-bulb moment! I think you are right and that it is “All This and Heaven Too” and the song I’m remembering is “Some Enchanted Evening” and not the title of the film. The Hudson/Wyman film I believe is called “All that Heaven Allows”. So sorry for leading you up the garden path with my long-term memory playing tricks on me. 🙂

Yes it’s beautiful and that’s probably why I “remembered” that as the title of the film, instead of the actual title.
What are film buffs for but to help out their friends – hope you get a chance to watch the whole thing one day soon. 🙂